


Not Who He Seems

by A_Verified_Rat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Good Malfoys, Idk what I’m doing, M/M, Percy can play guitar, Percy can sing, Punk Percy, cause he deserves it, just wanted to show my boy Percy some love, the Malfoys have a second son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29029023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Verified_Rat/pseuds/A_Verified_Rat
Summary: Percy didn’t like his family messing with his personal life. So he pretended he didn’t have one.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

When people thought of Percy Weasley, they usually thought of a pompous know-it-all prat. He had so much pride in his work and studies, a few boring interests and a pretty pathetic love life. It had been like this from the moment he could walk and talk, always trying to help his mother calm down the rambunctious twins when they were on a prolonged prank streak, or changing Ginny’s diapers and helping to feed her. Even playing with Ron when he seemed to be in a bad mood and helping him get justice when he got picked on by the older Weasley’s. He was always following his older brothers around, trying to learn all that he could from them about the famous Wizarding School, Hogwarts. No one could remember a time when he wasn’t stating some random fact or walking around the Burrow, his brightly polished Prefect badge proudly pinned to his clothes, and everyone knew that it wasn’t going to change anytime soon. But... fate doesn’t always go as people planned.

It all started in September of 1987, Percy’s first year at Hogwarts. Bill was in his sixth year while Charlie was in his fourth, and neither was particularly excited about having their younger brother follow them and their friends around. As much as they both loved him, he was very awkward in social situations and can be pretty stiff when it comes to rules. They knew how difficult it was for the third Weasley son to make friends, always preferring to shy away from other kids and jumbling over his words when he had to talk to them. He seemed to be perfectly fine on being alone however, but even he knew he couldn’t follow in his brothers shadows forever. He’d have to make his own friends one day, make his own name, a place, in the Weasley Family.

When the three red-heads first boarded the Hogwarts Express, Bill and Charlie very softly pushed Percy away, telling him to socialise, see if he could make some friends before they got to school. They just hoped he did. Percy knew that they just wanted him to leave them alone, and while normally he would call them out on their bluff, a packed corridor of a stuffy train wasn’t the best place to cause a scene, especially on his first day. So instead he sheepishly nodded and tracked down to the compartments away from his brothers. They stood watching their gloomy brothers retreating back in dismay before sharing a glance, deciding they did the right thing, and turned to join their friends in their usual compartment.

By the time the train had pulled into the Hogsmead station, the first years had already been taken across the lake by Hagrid, ruining the brothers chance of checking up on their brother before the sorting. They knew how anxious he was about getting a bad house and disappointing the family, no matter how many times everyone had shot down the idea. They wanted to make sure that he wasn’t feeling too pressured to be in Gryffindor like the rest of the family and just let himself be sorted into the house that the Sorting Hat decides is best. They hopped on the carriages and headed towards the huge castle that sat on top of the hill. 

They were sitting next to each other near the teachers tables in the Great Hall when the large doors were pushed open and in walked their transfiguration teacher Professor McGonagall, a small army of first years trailing behind her like lost puppies. She continued up to a stool in the very centre of the stage before picking up the very raggedy hat and calling out the names of the new Wizards and Witches in training. While Charlie had started to bet with his buddies on the new kids houses, Bill kept his eye on Percy. He noticed that the younger Weasley seemed a lot happier than before. A lot more... confident. He could feel the bright energy and good vibes radiating off him, so much more than what he seemed like at home. Percy did walk around the Burrow proudly, he never seemed to be doing it out of pride. More like, for attention, acknowledgment or praise. He was pulled out of his thoughts when McGonagall called out “Percy Weasley''. Both Bill and Charlie paused in their conversations and bets to watch as their shy brother walked towards the hat with suspicious eyes darting around the hall, before finally settling on them looking back at him from their seats. If they were being honest, they were scared. They were scared that he would be sorted into a different house and they would bully him, them feeling powerless as they were unable to stop it.

When the hat was placed on his head, the two oldest Weasleys had to chuckle softly as the hat fell over his eyes, obstructing his view of the other students. Percy has always been the smallest of them all, only being a foot taller than Ron. Even the twins were taller than him despite being two years younger, but their dad had a feeling that it won’t last for long. The school lapsed into an eerie silence as everybody watched on, wondering whether he would join his brothers in Gryffindor or break the chain and be placed somewhere else. It seemed forever as the hat contemplated its decisions on the redhead, before bellowing loud for all to hear...

“Slytherin!”

The hall was shocked into further silence, no one seeming to be able to process the news. Even Snape looked at his new student with such shock, you would have thought the hat had announced him as the new Minister of Magic. McGonagall gingerly took the hat of Percy’s head and watched along with the rest of the school in disbelief as he happily skipped over to his house's table, completely unaffected by the news. He sat down unfazed as everyone politely clapped and broke into a fit of murmurs, catching his brothers stunned stares from across the room. He gave them a small smile and a wave to them before being pulled into a conversation with a back haired boy sitting next to him.

It seemed that Percy’s sorting was the talk of the night. Charlie and Bill kept getting asked by their fellow Gryffindors, sometimes even some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, what they thought about it but they were still too shocked to know what they felt. Were they proud, angry, betrayed even? They didn’t know. Turning back to the table of snakes, they were surprised to see that they were welcoming the young Weasley with no problems. He seemed to be fitting in like a glove, laughing and talking with them. Their hearts hurt a little seeing Percy show his emotions and laugh so freely around total strangers that he’d only just met, while at home he was just a shell of the person they were now witnessing. It made them wonder what had happened on the train to give him so much confidence. They were so exhausted from thinking that the moment they arrived back at their dorms after dinner, they headed straight for their rooms and fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

The strangeness didn’t stop there though, oh no. The two oldest Weasleys were beginning to believe someone had brainwashed the brother on the train because he seemed like a completely different person. Despite being sorted into Slytherin, that didn’t stop him from making friends with the other houses. Like Oliver Wood from Gryffindor. The two were complete opposites, Oliver obsessed with Quidditch and the sorts, while Percy was more focused on his studies. But you wouldn’t be able to tell when you saw them. They talked about everything under the sun when they were together, Percy even helping Oliver study and in return Oliver would help him fly on a broomstick. They were honestly surprised on how well Percy had improved on the broom. Back home he wouldn’t even get near one without throwing a fit, but now he flew with ease and could even be seen playing a game or two of Quidditch with Oliver and the rest of their friends. He wasn’t anywhere near professional playing- that was Oliver’s thing (Charlie wouldn’t be surprised if he became the new captain when he left) -but he was definitely better than before.

Another friend of theirs was the pretty boy of Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory. Cedric was already popular enough as it was having all the girls swooning over his fluffy hair or his pearly white teeth, or the boys swarming him about his Quidditch skills and intelligence In Herbology, but he seemed to take delight in hanging around with the others who weren’t friends with him just because of his looks or talents. He and Percy were often in the greenhouses or the library studying or caring for the plants with another Hufflepuff, Gwen White and a white haired Ravenclaw by the name of Alexander Granger. Percy often described Gwen as the embodiment of sunshine, always beaming and looking at the light side of things. She would often help the others by lifting their spirits when they felt down or stressed about school or just life in general. Her green eyes always shone with such amazement for the world and magic. Alex was the complete opposite. He wore a stone cold expression all the time, never showing any emotion, his eyes like two shards of green ice. He was known for his high grades and being brutally truthful. He didn’t see the point in sugar coating stuff and preferred to just rip the bandaid off. He was apparently muggleborn and had a younger sister called Hermione, who was apparently similar to him. Despite not holding back or showing an emotion, Percy had claimed that he was very sweet and a fun dude to hang with. 

They were friends with two other Hufflepuffs as well. Muggleborn Patrick Young and a half blooded Alister Xavier. Patrick’s father was a wizard while his mother was a muggle so he grew up with knowledge of both worlds. He would often introduce the others to muggle inventions such as mobile phones and laptops, even teaching them some slang. They often heard Percy whisper oof under his breath when they were studying together, and he even often yelled out yeet when throwing scraps of paper in the bin from across the room. The other muggleborns and half bloods seemed to understand as they cheered him whenever he did it. They wished they knew but he would always refuse to tell them. Patrick’s father was also a teacher at a muggle dojo and taught his son various forms of martial arts who later taught it to Percy and their friends. Unlike his friends, Patrick sported a pair of pale grey eyes, which were apparently a result for his past blindness he used to have. They were sure their father would love him. Alister was basically an older version of the twins. Even though he was only a first year he had already made a name for himself as the official jokester of the school. He sent howlers to random students and because of Patrick, at least once a month he would send a howler to a random student and instead of having it yell at them, it would blast out this random song which had all the muggleborns and a few half bloods cheering and howling with laughter. They, along with the other pure bloods, didn’t understand what they laughing at though. What was so funny about a dude saying he was never going to give up his girl? They just didn’t understand. They just hope he wouldn’t influence the twins when they came up.

They were friends with some Ravenclaws as well. One in particular was pure blooded Addie Patil. She was of Indian origin and an amazing cook. She could often be found in the kitchen cooking along with the house elves in her free time. She made amazing cakes for her friends and her housemates on their birthdays and even taught them how to cook as well. Percy was already a pretty good cook as well, even though he was only eleven- as all the older Weasleys had to help their parents cook from time to time when they were to busy with their younger siblings- but every time they caught up with Percy, he would always rant about a new dish he had learned about. His favourite so far was something called Punjab Samosa. Apparently, it was a small Indian pastry stuffed with potatoes and peas. Percy had told them that once he got the recipe right, he’d cook them a special batch to try. With the way Percy illustrated it, they couldn’t wait. 

The last Ravenclaw was an Irish muggleborn known as Penelope Clearwater. She was an amazing musician and was in the Hogwarts choir. She played a lot of instruments and even some that the other Weasleys had never seen or heard of before. She had apparently started to teach Percy to play the guitar and Bill had heard from the Slytherin head boy that she had even taught him to sing and their friend group had started a small band and often put on performances in the Slytherin common rooms during their free periods. They had never known Percy to sing or play an instrument of any kind, but then again they never thought he’d be in the Hogwarts kitchen cooking meals from different cultures or pulling pranks on his fellow schoolmates. They never even though he’d be put into any other house then Gryffindor. Also now that Bill and Charlie have slept off their confusion and have had some time to think about it, they couldn’t be prouder of their younger brother. Neither could their parents. They had been a little surprised as well when Charlie had first written to them about his sorting but now looking back, there was so much more pointing to him being in Slytherin then in Gryffindor.

Speaking of Gryffindor, they were also friends with James Black. He was the son of Bellatrix Lestrange after she had raped a poor, innocent man before killing him and running into hiding. When she was found James was already born and had been sent to live with someone called Remus Lupin. James was a huge prankster like Alister but was more verbal than practical and was interested in studying a lot more than Alister. He was also really creative and was often painting or even creating or sewing up clothes. Sometimes he’d drag his friends up to the Gryffindor common room to get them to help style some new clothes he’d made. He’d even gotten Percy into drawing and now when he wasn’t studying he could be found outside under a tree, or curled up in the library or his common room if it was too cold, doodling in a sketchbook. Charlie had had the pleasure of seeing a few of the little gingers work and he could say he was honestly impressed. To him they looked like photos, not the Wizarding ones, the old muggle ones that sat still on the paper.

While Percy was friends with a lot of people from other houses, that didn’t mean he wasn’t friends with his own. He had quite a few actually. One of them was the Slytherin chaser, Marcus Flint. He was difficult to become friends with at first, and usually ignored Percy, saying he didn’t frolic about with blood traitors. It wasn’t however, until a week into school Marcus seemed to be having some trouble with his classes. Percy didn’t hesitate to invite him to one of his friend groups' study sessions, in fact this was what inspired Percy to begin them. Marcus reluctantly agreed and joined. He seemed to be at complete ease afterwards, as he would join in all their sessions here after and even became a permanent member or their group, joining Oliver in teaching the others Quidditch and helping teach his muggle born and half blooded buddies with wizarding culture and knowledge. They’d never seen anyone turn over a new leaf as quickly as he did, but they were happy that he wasn’t bullying their little brother.

They were also friends with two more pureblooded Slytherins by the names of Jacob Zabini and Rayden Malfoy. Jacob was apparently the half brother of Blaise Zabini and lived with his mother and two younger sisters, while Blaise lived alone with his father. Blaise was similar to Marcus in his befriending, but just like him, all he needed was some time with the red headed Slytherin and soon he was whipped for the group, sending letters to his mother and sisters about them and getting them gifts for their birthdays or other special occasions. He was also an amazing ice skater. None of the Weasleys knew how to ice skate well, due to their financial situation preventing them from doing much, however they did skate from time to time on the lake by their house when it froze over in the winter. Percy used to be the same with ice skating as he was with Quidditch, never stepping on the ice in fear of it breaking under him but staying on the shore to watch his siblings to make sure they didn’t get hurt. Jacob somehow persuaded him into trying it though, and despite never even wearing skates before, he was a natural, gliding along the ice with such grace and doing tricks Bill and Charlie had never heard of let alone try. 

Rayden was pretty much the complete opposite of his family. He had rich black hair that seemed like he never brushed and piercing green eyes, unlike their snowy white hair constantly combed to perfection and icy blue eyes. It didn’t seem like they thought of him any different though. He was always writing to them about his endeavours in his new school and adventures with his friends, and his parents and younger brother Draco, always wrote back praising him for his work or even sending him small gifts. Sometimes they even sent gifts for his friends, as Percy once got a box of expensive chocolates from them on Valentine’s Day and had decided to share a few of them with his older brothers during their catch up lunch. They were surprised that the prissy pureblooded Malfoy’s were giving gifts and praising someone they used to call a blood traitor, but just like everything else with Percy, they didn’t really question it. Rayden was a bit of a jokester as well, commenting on their Quidditch matches and teachers teaching.

A group of friends made up of six purebloods, four muggle borns and three half bloods, all with different interests and cultures, and yet even though they’ve only known each other for a couple weeks, a month or two at best, they acted like they had known each other all their lives. There was never a time when one of them was alone, sitting next to each other in classes and even sitting on different house tables for their meals. It seemed that Percy and his friends had become the most popular people in the school. Honestly, Bill and Charlie couldn’t escape the constant questions about their brother, and they’d even had some bold ones come and give them gifts and cards to give to Percy and his friends. They were completely considering the brainwashing theory. This was not their brother, this was the complete opposite. They were proud that he was finally coming out of his shell and making friends, focusing on stuff other than school and even gaining a few more interests that didn’t involve reading or studying, but this was a lot of change in one day. He was also a lot more apathetic then before, making sure all his friends, housemates and even complete strangers he met in the corridors or his classes were all happy and not too stressed, helping them when he could and just being there for them to talk to or get advice from when they needed it. Percy was always smiling now and it was very rare to find his nose in a book now, unlike back at the Burrow, due to him constantly talking to others and joking along with them. It was a complete personality change and the others didn’t understand it but they quickly learned to never question anything when it came to Percy and his life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idk I just wanted to give a reason why Percy acts like he does now. Also wanted to show him making friends

After Percy had slumped away from his brothers, he headed to the very back of the train. He wanted to be alone and he wasn't in the mood to make friends at the moment. It seemed like luck wasn’t on his side that day however, as it seemed all the compartments were full. The only one that had enough room to sit in was toward the end. Inside was a boy who he had never seen before but got the familiar vibes from, another boy with a super charismatic charm to him that he knew all the girls were going to gaga for, another ginger haired boy, a girl with a bright smile and a girl with olive toned skin and raven hair. He pulled open the door shyly, effectively putting an end to whatever activities were happening.  
“Sorry to interrupt, but all other compartments are full. Do you mind if I sit in here?” He asked, shuffling on his feet. He didn’t expect to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled into the seat between the smiling blond and the contrasting boy.   
“Of course you can.” The girl said, still not letting go of him. He chuckled nervously, regretting opening the door in the first place. He wanted to pull his arm away, but didn’t want to seem rude, so he just sat there, looking awkwardly at everybody else, never meeting their eyes.  
“The more the merrier. I’m Rayden Malfoy, by the way.” Said the boy on his other side holding out his hand for the new ginger.  
“Malfoy?” Percy asked suspiciously. He’d always been told that The Malfoy’s were slimy, no good, lying snakes. To never trust them if he came across one. But Rayden seemed… different. In a way. He didn’t know how to explain it, but Rayden gave of this vibe of support and comfort. In fact the whole room did. He felt completely at ease, like he could laugh and joke freely, be himself again, not what everybody else expected him to be. Back at home, Percy had taken on the role of the golden child. His parents needed help with the ever growing family, and whenever he tried to help, he was dubbed the goodie-two shoes, momma’s boy. He had always taken his siblings seriously, anytime they joked with him about his interests and hobbies, he came to the conclusion that he had to be what they wanted him to be in order to get their attention. As he grew older though, he started to realize that what he previously believed was wrong, but he didn't want to just change his entire personality right then. They'd probably think he was just a loner trying to fit in, so he stayed how he was, putting on a fake face, and doing what they expected of him. But this room, these people, they wouldn’t judge him, they wouldn't force him to be somebody he was not.  
He gave a soft smile in return, and shook Rayden’s hand.  
“I’m Percy Weasley.”  
“A Weasley, huh?” Rayden said with a grin and a look he couldn't decipher.   
The other ginger in the room, laid the cards from the game of Exploding Snap he and the other girl were playing before he had arrived. “Never thought I'd see the day a Malfoy and a Weasley would get along.” He said with a cocky grin. The room fell into quiet chuckles and soft giggles. Even Percy laughed a little. “I’m James Black.”  
“Black? Isn't he in prison?” Percy asked.  
James looked solem and his smile faltered a little before turning to look at the ground. “No.” He chuckled. “I’m not Sirius Black’s son. I’m his cousin Bellatrix’s. She raped some random gezer off the street before killing him and running into hiding. I’ve been living with this dude called Remus Lupin ever since i could remember.”  
“Oh.” Now Percy felt bad. He didn't know whether he should say sorry or what.  
James seemed to read his mind as he looked back up and shook his hand as if waving away his past ghosts. “It’s alright. I’ve gotten over it. It’s just really… awkward to talk about.”  
“Well,” said the handsome boy sitting next to the window. “I’m Cedric. Cedric Diggory.”  
“And I'm Gwen White.” Said the girl beside him.   
“Addie Patil.” Said the other girl.  
It seemed all uneasy tensions were lifted after that, and they hatted freely. They spoke about their families and interests. At some point, they came upon the topic of Hogwarts houses.  
“What house do you think you'll be in Percy?” Asked Gwen, the smile having never left her face the entire time.  
“I don’t know. My family has an extensive history in Gryffindor, but I just feel like that… me, ya know?”  
“I get it.” Comforted James. “Everybody thinks I'll be put into slytherin because of my mother, but I feel more like a Gryffindor.”  
Addie leaned back against her seat, folding her arms behind her head. “The hat has never been wrong in its placements. Just trust it and let it do it’s thing.” She said.   
Percy didn’t know why, but that simple sentence had given him a burst of confidence he'd never felt before. He decided to take her word for it and trust the sorting hats decision. During the sorting, he watched as Rayden got sorted into Slytherin, Cedric and Gwen got sorted into Hufflepuff, James into Gryffindor, which pleased him immensely- if the smile on his face was anything to go by- and Addie was sorted into Ravenclaw. Oliver’s personality seemed to fit Gryffindor the most, so that just left Percy. He was so surprised when the hat yelled, Slytherin, he thought he was going to go into shock, but years of hiding his emotions at home allowed him to hide it. He walked silently to his new table, a small smile playing on his lips as he realised he wouldn't be in his family's shadow anymore. He sat next to Rayden and after throwing his star struck brothers a wave across the hall, he was pulled into a conversation with a boy called Jacob.   
Over the next few weeks, Percy made it his goal to change for the better and not be what his siblings mould him into. He took up new hobbies, made many friends with people he never thought he'd be friends with, and even earned the admiration of their families and even Professor Snape, and less surprisingly, Professor McGonagall. He went down to Hagrid’s hut every week to care for the new creatures he had rescued. He even took up an interest in muggle culture, learning martial arts, skateboarding, electronics and various books, shows and movies. He was like a completely different person. But no matter what, he always acted like his old self around his family, even when he wrote home- that he now did with a pen and paper instead of those annoying quills- he was still the same old Percy. But now, he snuck out to muggle towns in the middle of the night, visiting the Malfoy’s and Zabini’s and even having afternoon teas with Snape, McGonagall and the other staff. He was living his best life, even if his family didn't know. He and his friends became a band, and they share their music online- after getting Percy his own phone, laptop and ipad- becoming extremely popular and famous in the muggle world. After graduating he took up a job in the ministry, only because he'd gotten multiple internships and recommendations, and it was the only job that seemed Percy-like. No matter how much he hated it, he stuck by it. Up until Fudge got fired and he saw his chance to quit.


End file.
